Crushed by Triton: Escaped sea lion falls face down on staffer trying to push the 330lb beast back into its enclosure at Mallorca marine park
- Sonia, caretaker of Marineland, tried to prevent a sea lion named Triton from falling out of his tank
This is the moment a sea lion that had climbed up the side of its enclosure fell several feet, knocking its keeper to the ground as she tried to push the 330-pound animal inside.
As the sea lion, named Triton, teetered on the edge of his glass tank, keeper Sonia could be seen running to catch him from falling.
But the friendly beast then slammed into her, its weight knocking Sonia to the ground instantly and leaving viewers at Mallorca’s Marineland worried that it had “broken something”.
British, German and American tourists watched in horror as the incident unfolded, with several seen jumping from their seats.
But luckily, shortly after the aquatic mammal and its keeper hit the ground, they seemed to make a quick recovery, and Triton was seen walking behind Sonia as the pair rushed to get him checked out by medics.
This is the moment Triton was seen teetering on the edge of his glass tank at Marineland, Mallorca
The keeper carried the full weight of the sea lion, which could not support the 330-pound beast.
Among the attendees was influencer Micah Diaz, 20, who is from Clearwater, Florida, USA and was visiting Marineland with his family.
He witnessed the shocking moment when Triton managed to escape from the tank, which is surrounded by hundreds of paying spectator seats.
“I was on family vacation at Marineland in Mallorca,” he said.
‘I am a surfer and am very comfortable with marine animals and have been to many aquariums.
‘I have never seen an accident like this.
I was immediately in shock and thought that the woman had broken something.
After Sonia managed to wriggle out from under Triton, the pair quickly jumped back and took him away for inspection.
“Then they took the sea lion away,” he said.
‘I guess they’ll either check me for injuries or put me back in the tank.
‘This doesn’t happen often.
‘It seemed that the sea lion got a little excited.
“But luckily they were both fine.”
At the end of the ordeal, Sonia had gotten up and stroked the sea lion as a gesture that they were both unharmed and still friends.
Triton’s weight knocked Sonia to the ground instantly and left viewers concerned that she had ‘broken something’.
Sonia managed to wriggle out from under Triton and the pair quickly jumped in before he was led away to be checked out.
Triton, who performs every day for park visitors, has been described by his keepers as ‘150 kilos of love and kindness’.
Marineland shared a video after the incident of the seal and Sonia together to show that they are both fine and to thank the public for their concern.
The park is a popular marine amusement park that also offers dolphin and sea lion shows.
The attraction is not everyone’s cup of tea, and the practice of keeping wild animals in captivity and training them for performances has been criticized by activists in Europe and the United States in recent years.
I am Rakesh Sharma, I associated with Elite News as an Editor, since 2021. I take care of all the news operations like content, budget, hiring and policy making.